Like you, I love to shoot. There are so many fun ways to enjoy our sport. But the one that provides the greatest amount of satisfaction for me is introducing shooting to others. We need to bring new people into shooting, of course, to insure the future of firearms based sports. The fact that introducing it to others is so enjoyable is simply a pleasant plus. And a great way to get young shooters into the sport is with the Savage Rascal .22 LR single-shot, bolt-action rifle.

With excellent sights, an easy to operate (and effective) safety and a great price point, you can’t miss with the Savage Rascal. Shown with hardwood stock.

If you want to pick up one of these already affordable rifles for an even better price, Savage Arms has you covered. In addition to dealer discounts, Savage has a great $25 rebate program currently going on for the company’s bolt-action rimfire rifles (including the Rascal and the B.Mag). This rebate program is running from December 3rd through December 31st of this year, and the coupon most be postmarked by January 31st, 2017. This $25 rebate will make an already affordable rifle even better!

As I noted above, the Savage Rascal is one of the best rifles I’ve found for introducing shooting to kids. The diminutive size lets them hold it comfortably, which builds confidence that this is something they can handle. It also makes it easier for them to shoulder it and to get a good sight picture. There are several other features that make this a great gun for newbies.

The author took his niece and nephew out with the Rascal for some shooting fun.

When working with newcomers, and especially kids, it’s important to provide positive feedback. The best feedback they can get is hitting the target. Reactive targets are great for this and also fun, no matter your age, although it’s a good idea to start on paper so you can correct any problems before going to tougher targets. You don’t have to make it complicated, though. As you can see, I just used a cardboard box and a tin can.

Besides being sized to fit kids, the Rascal has two other features that help with accuracy. I was happily surprised to find the Rascal equipped with Savage’s AccuTrigger, one of the best production rifle triggers available. It’s light and crisp and a breeze to teach kids how to use. With a trigger breaking at 2 pounds 11 ounces, it’s easy for them to make good shots. I treat it like a two-stage trigger and have them bring the blade to the trigger, pause, and then press a little harder when they have the sights lined up.

Speaking of sights, the Rascal has a peep rear sight and a blade front with a bead at the top. The bead is actually cylindrical in shape but from the rear appears as a small circle. I’ve found this setup to be far superior to open rear sight for kids, or for anyone else for that matter. Centering the bead in the aperture is natural and helps get on target more easily.

The rear site is fully adjustable in windage and elevation, however, the method for adjustment is a little bit crude and it’s difficult to make precise adjustments. For the price of the gun, though, it’s acceptable. If you’re careful to hold the sight between two fingers, you can feel how much you’re moving it when you loosen the rear screw on the side for elevation, or unscrew the aperture to make windage adjustments.

In addition, the Savage Rascal has a superior safety system compared to its competitors. On the Rascal, the safety is designed to allow the shooter to keep the rifle on safety as the action is cycled. The safety is located on the right side of the receiver, directly above the triggerguard area. Drawing it to the rear places the rifle on safe, while pushing it forward disengages it.

One of the most important features of the Rascal is its safety, which allows the rifle to be cycled while engaged and reveals a red dot when ready to fire.

SPECS

Chambering: .22 LR

Barrel: 16.125 inches

OA Length: 31.5 inches

Weight: 2.95 pounds

Stock: Wood or synthetic

Sights: Peep sight rear (fully adjustable), post & bead front

Action: Single-shot, bolt-action

Finish: Black

Capacity: 1

MSRP: $191-$238

I should note that the Rascal is available in a number of colors in the synthetic stock version.

So what’s a good age to introduce kids to shooting? Well, that depends. Some kids are mature enough at 5 or 6. Some you might want to wait another year or two. The important consideration is if they’re mature enough to understand your instructions and to be responsible in their gun handling. That wasn’t a problem with the volunteers I got to help with this review.

My niece and nephew, Lauren and Daniel, are both 10 years old. We started with a briefing on the rules of safe gun handling. They had never handled a firearm before but when I asked what they should do if they find a gun someplace, they both came out with, “Don’t touch it and get an adult.” Good. Smart kids. I told them that this familiarization wouldn’t change that.

The Rascal sports a clearly visible and tactile cocking indicator, as well as a highly usable rear sight.

As a really nice value-added feature, the Rascal employs Savage’s excellent AccuTrigger that is adjustable from 2.5 to 4.5 pounds.

Following the safety briefing, I went over the parts of the gun. They had a little trouble remembering the names of some parts but not the name of the butt of the stock, the butt pad, and that the butt sits on your shoulder…

Then we talked about the .22 cartridge and that, although it is small, it is still powerful; something that they should respect. To put that in perspective for them, I took a 16-ounce hammer, swung it over my head, and brought it down on a wood block. Hard. I told them that the .22 was even more powerful and would travel over the hill behind us which was about a half mile away. (It seemed to make more sense than telling them it had 140 foot pounds of energy at the muzzle.)

The author coached the kids on the safe handling and proper usage of the handy little rimfire.

The target, a cardboard box with a couple of bull’s eyes drawn on it, was set 15 yards away. Close enough to make hitting it easy but far enough away that they had to go down range to see their shots. They both took instructions well and neither had any trouble. Lauren hit the target from her first shot. She also hit the can with her first shot sending it flying off the top of the box. Once Daniel figured out the sight picture, he was consistently placing shots as well.

This session wasn’t about form or precision but was strictly familiarization. They learned that they didn’t have to be afraid of guns, that if they adhered to the rules of safety they could handle any gun safely, and that shooting was fun. If they never shoot again, this was time well spent. However, I’d be very surprised if they don’t keep shooting.

Then I asked for their feedback. Daniel enjoyed it. He said that it was easier than he thought it would be. He liked the size of the gun saying it fit him. It was also easy for him to handle. He liked the safety because the big safety toggle was easy to move and he could definitely tell when the safety was on or off. Loading cartridges was easy and he didn’t have any trouble operating the bolt. He said he really liked the way the Rascal looks. When I asked what he liked about it, he answered, “I don’t know. I just like the way the wood looks with the black (steel).” Yeah. Me too!

Lauren said it was fun. When I asked what was fun about it, she replied, “Shooting. Everything!” She also liked the size, the way the gun fit her. Lauren felt the peep sight was easy to use as was the safety. She said the bolt was hard for her to use at first but got easier the more she shot. The Rascal cocks when the bolt is lifted, so it’s a little harder to lift for those who don’t have good hand strength. Part of that for Lauren was also not being familiar with the way the bolt moves. As she got that, she stopped working against herself and it became easier.

Needless to say, they both want to do it again.

The front blade sight is easy to use and is rugged.

By loosening the knurled aperture, you can easily adjust the rear sight for windage.

All in all, the Savage Rascal is an impressive gun, especially for the low price point. Everything I’ve ever had in the past that was designed for beginners was hard to use—beginner’s guitar, beginner’s bicycle, beginner’s skis. They were all more difficult to use than the more expensive versions. That’s not the case with the Rascal. It is a well made, accurate, and easy to shoot rifle at a fraction of the cost of a full size version. Premium features like the AccuTrigger and a bolt that cocks when you lift it are standard, as are sling studs and a receiver that’s tapped for mounting optics.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a fun shooting experience.

At 15 yards the target is far enough away to be challenging but close enough for a good probability of hits.

If you have someone in your family of small stature, or children you want to teach to shoot, I highly recommend the Savage Rascal. In fact, I’m buying one so Daniel and Lauren can keep shooting. I also have a passel of young nieces and nephews, and a new granddaughter on the way, and I want them to get started right.

Remember, Savage has a great $25 rebate program currently going on for the company’s bolt-action rimfire rifles (including the Rascal and the B.Mag). This rebate program is running from December 3rd through December 31st of this year, and the coupon most be postmarked by January 31st, 2017.